In an Animal's Footsteps
by Warrior Phoenix
Summary: One day, Team Natsu finds a mysterious bottle on a job. When they manage to open it, something inside turns the four into animals! Now living in the woods, Team Natsu learn that a war is raging between the wolves and the wildcats. With the help of a clan of moutain lions and a friendly wolf, they try to stop the war. Will they survive or wil tragedy strike? (CURRENTLY PAUSED)
1. A Mysterious Bottle

**In An Animal's Footsteps**

**(For my animal-loving friend, Isabelle)**

Chapter 1 – A Mysterious Bottle

Happy walked into the guild, holding something in his paws. It was a peculiar bottle; the team had found it on their previous job.

The bottle was small, and quite round. It was made of cyan blue glass, with ornate curves. On the front of the bottle, there was picture of a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Nobody knew what was inside the bottle, much less, if there was anything inside the bottle. It was tightly corked, that not even Natsu or Erza could pull it out.

"Have you firgured out how to open it yet?" asked Gray.

"No." replied Happy. "It's really, really tight."

"We all know that." The ice mage remarked.

"Maybe you can use a wrench and pry it off." Lucy suggested.

"Natsu tried that already." Said Happy. "It didn't end well."

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows. "Huh?"

* * *

_2 days ago…_

_"Argh! This dang cork won't come out!" Natsu shouted in frustration._

_"Calm down." Happy sweatdropped._

_"I know, I'll use a wrench to get it off!" The dragonslayer declared confidently._

_Natsu grabbed a wrench off the table, and clamped it around the stubborn cork. He yanked at it with all his might, but the wrench lost it's grip and the silver tool flew out the window._

_"We better go find it." Said Happy._

_ The two raced outside, only to find that the wrench, unfortuneately, had hit an old lady taking a stroll._

_"Which one of you wipper-snappers threw this?" she asked, waving the wrech in their faces._

_"He did it." Said Natsu and Happy, pointing at on another._

_The old lady stared at them for a momment, and started wacking them with her little purple purse._

_"You must respect the elderly!" she shouted with her raspy voice before walking off._

_"Aye." Said Natsu weakly, gently rubbing an enormous bump on his head._

* * *

"So that's what happened." Happy finished.

"Who new people over 70 could be so strong?" Natsu said.

"You're such a wimp." Gray scoffed.

"Hey!" the dragon slayer shouted in annoyance. "Besides, it's not a good idea to hurt an old lady.

* * *

The next day, it was the same. Nobody could open the bottle, there was no point of destroying it either. Gildarts used his Crash magic on it, and not a single crack formed on it!

"Gosh, what the heck is this bottle made out of?" Laxus asked, turning the bottle over in his hands.

"Titanium glass?" Happy guessed.

"I don't think there is such a thing." Laxus sweatdropped. "Besides, I was asking gramps."

"Hmm, I think I've seen this type of glass before." Makarov rubbed his chin. "But I can't recall what it's called."

Natsu let out a sarcastic sigh. "You must be getting old, master."

"Hey!"

* * *

**Phoenix: Gomenasai! The 1st chapter is sooo short!**

**Happy: Talk about it, I barely had any screen time.**

**Phoenix: Hey! You had _plenty _of screen time.**

**Happy: There you go with your sarcasm again. *sighs***

**Phoenix: Shut up!**

**Happy: Read and Review folks!**

**(^.^)**


	2. The Potion

Chapter 2 – The Potion

It was a blazing hot day. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the saphire sky ripple from all the heat. The air lingered with the steamy odor of car exahust and dust.

The thermometer screamed for help, as the mecery inside rose to one-hundred degrees. The little gadget seemed to be shaking all by it's self.

In the normally rambutcious guild of Fairy Tail, it wasn't as great either. Most of the wizards just sat at the tables, too tired to do anything. While others had just the slightest bit of energy to slowly slump around.

"Why is it so hot today?" a certain ice mage groaned. "Yesterday it was so nice and cool."

"I don't see why everyone's so bummed out and tired." Natsu said. "This feels great."

"Idiot, that's because you eat fire for your main course."

"Does anyone has fish popsicle?" Happy asked. "Salmon or bass would be nice."

Lucy grimaced. "Are you that desperate for something cold to eat?"

Happy gave the celestial mage a confused look. "I'm not desperate. Fish popsicles are delicious!"

"He's weird." The blonde muttered under her breath.

Natsu casually reached for the mysterious bottle, with the intention to do _something_. Without using much strength he tugged at it. With a _squeak _the cork surprsingly popped out.

The pink haired dragonslayer's eyes widened. "I just opened the bottle."

"No way." Gray said dryly, slugishly dragging himself over to Natsu. "Whoa, you _did_ open it."

Lucy and Erza joined them. But before they could get a good look at what was inside, a puff of grey smoke erupted from the bottle and engulfed the four mages.

"What is this stuff?" Gray coughed, trying to wave the smoke away.

No sooner had the ice mage finished talking, silver sparkles burst out of the smoke, and rained down on the four.

The smoke and sparkles soon disappeared. But when everyone looked at the members of Fairy Tail's strongest team, their jaws hit the ground.

"What are you looking at?" Gray growled.

"Why ya staring at me?" Natsu hissed.

"N-natsu," Lucy trembled slightly. "Y-you a-are a-a l-lizard."

The dragon slayer turned around, but he didn't see his blonde haired best friend. In her place, was a fluffy,marshmellow white maltese!

"AHH!" He screamed. "L-lucy's a-a d-dog!"

"And Erza's a jaguar!" Gray added.

"And you're a snow leapord!" The requip mage exclaimed.

The four glanced at each other, and then glanced at the other members of Fairy Tail. "What on earth happened?!"

"Maybe something in the bottle cuased this." Carla suggested.

"Yay, there's more cats!" Happy exclaimed cheerfully.

Gray sweatdropped at the blue exceed's happiness. "You think this is a good thing?"

"Aye!" Happy responded. "But, Lucy looks ugly."

"Say that again." Lucy growled, baring her teeth. Happy flew away in fear.

"What are we going to do now?" Erza asked.

"Maybe you guys should just wait for the potion to wear off." Gajeel suggested. "I don't think it'll last forever."

"I hope so." Lucy remarked.

"Natsu." Gray randomly said. "I am now greater than you!"

"How?" the dragonslayer asked.

"For I am a mighty snow leapord, and you're a just a measely lizard."

"Say that again."

"Oh I will."

"Really?"

"Oh yes I will."

"Then please do so."

"Ice make: saucer!"

But, a saucer didn't appear. Instead, a gust of frost wind wafted in through the main doors, and burried Natsu in a pile of snow.

"I-It's t-too c-cold." Natsu shivered.

"Huh? I thought you didn't mind the cold." Said a perplexed Happy.

"Lizards are cold blooded." Mirajane explained.

Gray looked down at his furry white paws. "Eh? What's wrong with my magic?"

"It probably changed, because you are an animal now." Makarov said. "Natsu, try using _Roar of the Fire Dragon_."

"Roar of the Fire Dragon!"

Amber flames shot out his mouth. He looked very much like a dragon, because he was a eight foot long komodo dragon.

"Intresting." Makarov rubbed is chin, fully attentive to what was happening. "Erza you try."

"Heaven's Wheel!"

The mage's nomral red magic cirlce flashed underneath her feet. But the silver wings and the armored dress did not appear. Instead, her claws turned silver and became razor sharp. Iron anklets clung to her four legs, and a silver circlet was pressed against her forhead.

"I did not see that coming." Natsu remarked.

Erza stared down at her now shiny claws. "That was strange."

"How about you, Lucy?" Makarov asked.

"Gate of the Maiden, I open thee! Virgo!"

A blue magic circle appeared after a quick _ding-dong_. Smoke spiraled out of the circle, and it it's place, a pink poodle wearing a maid cap and an apron.

The poodle bowed it's head. "You called, Princess?"

Lucy grabbed the key between her teeth, and swished it, closing the celestial gate. She stared at her teamates.

"Our magic is weird now!" Natsu shouted.

Gray smacked the dragonslayer's tail "Idiot! We already know that!"

"Well, _sorry._" Natsu rolled his eyes.

"Wait, I just remembered something." Gray said.

"What?"

"People aren't allowed to keep wild or exotic animals." The ice mage replied.

"Oh how wonderful, Gray. You're a snow leapord, I'm a jaguar, and Natsu is a komodo dragon." Erza said sarcastically. "None of those animals live any where near Magnolia!"

"What about me?" asked Lucy.

"A maltese is a dog." Erza replied. "And as everyone knows, people can keep dogs as pets."

"If the people find out were keeping two wild cats and an exotic lizard, the animal control, or even worse, the council, might do something to Fairy Tail." Laxus noted.

"Where will they go?" asked Mirajane.

"The woods." Natsu answered, flicking his tail towards the door.

"I guess that'll work." Said Gray. "Living in the woods sounds like fun."

"I'm going too, so nothing bad happens to the guild." Said Erza.

Erza and Gray followed Natsu outside, but Lucy stood still. She had the choice to either stay or be with her friends. She couldn't leave them alone, but she didn't like the idea of living in the woods either.

"Are you going to stay here, Lu-chan?" asked Levy.

_"Arg! I don't want to leave Levy-chan either!"_ Lucy thought. _"But what about my team?"_

"I wonder if there's anything to eat in a forest." Natsu said.

"Idiot, you can eat those pesky mosquitos." Gray whacked his tail, again.

"Flame-brain!"

"Ice cube!"

"Be quiet!" Erza shouted. "Or feel the wrath of my…er…claw."

* * *

**Phoenix: Are ya happy? This chapter is a bout 1,705 words long.**

**Happy: *sigh* I wish I could have 1,705 fish.**

**Phoenix: You would be sick from eating all of that.**

**Happy: Nuh uh! I've eaten 100 fish without getting sick.**

**Gray: Liar! You through up after your 99th one!**

**Happy: *laughs sheepishly* Guess I forgot.**

**Gray: Whatever. Read and review people.**

**(^.^)**


	3. Survival

Chapter 3 – Survival

"I'm going too." Declared Lucy.

"What?" asked Natsu. "Don't you think it's better here?"

"I don't want to leave my friends." Replied Lucy. "And besides, maybe living in a forest is fun."

"Alrighty, lets go!" Natsu shouted.

"Um Natsu, you aren't going very fast." Erza noted.

"Huh? Great, I got a big, fat tail to drag along." Said Natsu, with sarcasm in his voice.

~X~

"I'm so tired." Natsu moaned.

"Be quiet." Ordered Gray. "We've only been walking for half an hour."

"You're not the boss of me." Natsu snapped.

"It's almost evening." Said Lucy, looking up at the sky.

The sun was setting, and there were pink streaks in the sky. Framed by wispy white clouds and a pale purple sky, it was breath taking.

"Maybe we can find some brush, and make a bed or something." Suggested Gray.

"Okay." Said Natsu. "But I'm starvin'."

"Just eat some flies or something." Said Gray. "Or a mouse or 2."

"That's sounds gross." Said Natsu grimacing.

"They taste great to komodo dragons." Said Erza.

"I'll try one." Natsu grumbled. "I guess."

Later that evening, Natsu had found, that mice tasted pretty good. And that flies sort of tasted like crackers.

"I just don't get how these taste like crackers." Said Natsu, nibbling the wing of a fly.

Soon, the 4 fell asleep on a cushion of gathered brush. It wasn't that bad living in the wild, for they were able to eat strange things like flies or termites or something. But who knew what lived in this forest?

~X~

"I wonder how those 4 are doing." Said Meredy.

"You must worried about Erza, Jellal." Teased Ultear.

"Cut it out." Jellal muttered, though he was kind of worried about her.

~X~

The next morning, Lucy awoke to damp and matted fur. She felt cold and slimy all over.

She stood up, and shook herself off. She felt a little better, but her fur was still quite damp.

"Natsu, are you awake?" she asked.

"I was awake awhile ago." He replied. "I'm just gettin' some sun."

"What? Are you tanning?" Lucy joked.

"No, lizards just need sunlight to get goin'." Replied Natsu.

Soon, Erza was awake too. But she still seemed sleepy.

"She is a cat after all." Whispered Natsu.

"I heard that." Erza growled.

"Aye!" yelped Natsu.

Later, Gray was still asleep. His fur was severely matted and covered in twigs and leaves.

"Is he awake yet?" asked Natsu.

"Nope, sound asleep." Replied Lucy.

"And I thought I slept in long." Said Erza.

Soon, the ice mage woke up, but he was in a prickly mood and didn't seem to notice is bad fur day.

"Gray, you should jump in the river." Suggested Lucy.

"Huh?" He asked. "No thanks."

"Oh yeah, cats hate water." Said Lucy, remembering.

"Not all of them." Corrected Erza. "If I'm right, jaguars love to swim."

"Then why don't you jump in the river?" asked Gray.

"My fur isn't as matted as yours." Erza replied. "Though, I will still jump in."

She bounded over to the nearby river, and gracefully jumped in. The crystal clear water washed over her head, Erza felt refreshed and more awake.

"That felt nice." Sighed Erza.

Lucy did the same, and Natsu just sat on a smooth rock.

"Gray?" asked Lucy.

"Shh." he shushed. "Someone's coming."

Natsu arubtly jumped off his rock, and cautiously looked around.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

The sound got louder, and a scratching noise followed.

_Thump. Thump. Thump. Scratch._

"What is that?" asked Lucy.

_Thump. Thump. Scratch. Thump. Thump. Scratch_

Suddenly, a ginormous mountain lion jumped out of the bushes. He lunged at Lucy, but missed.

"Drat." It hissed.

The mountain lion, lunged again. But Gray, who was now more awake, pinned it down.

"What are you doing?" Gray asked furiously.

The mountain lion pushed Gray off of him, and swiped his claws at his neck.

"None of your buisness." It spat back.

Then, another mountain lion bounded over. He pushed Gray out of the way, and clawed the other one.

Blood spewed from it's wound, and it yowled in pain. He dropped on all fours, and slowly walked away.

"Sorry for you pushing you there." apoligized the mountain lion, eyeing Gray.

"W-who a-are y-you?" stuttered Lucy.

"I'm Claw." Replied the mountain lion. "And you are?"

"I'm Lucy." Replied Lucy. "And the snow leapord is Gray, the jaguar is Erza, and this lizard is Natsu."

"Nice to meet you all." Said Claw. "Though, what is a komodo dragon doing here?"

"It's a long story." Replied Natsu. "But we were once humans."

"Intresting." Said Claw. "Though, that is hard to believe."

"I know." Said Natsu. "It is hard to believe."

"Excuse me, Claw?" asked Erza. "But, why did that mountain lion attack Lucy?"

"Oh, it's a long story." Replied Claw. "But I'll tell you if you want."

"Of course." Said Erza.

_3 years ago…_

_"Come on Coco, we must keep going." Said Claw._

_"But I'm tired." Complained a pale brown cat._

_"We'll stop soon." Said Claw._

_ Then, a wolf jumped in front of the 2. But he didn't have "I want to attack you" look on his face._

_"A wolf!" Coco yelped. "Claw! Attack it!"_

_ Just as Claw barred his teeth, the wolf held up his paw._

_"Don't worry, I'm not going to harm you." It said calmly._

_"Huh?" asked Claw._

_"I'm Iron, who are you?" asked the wolf._

_"I'm Claw." Replied Claw. "And this is my sister Coco."_

_"Nice to meet you." Said Iron. "Though, I'm here for something else."_

_"What?" asked Coco._

_"It seems, that the wild cats and wolves are at war." Replied Iron._

_"So, what should we do?" asked Claw, eyeing Iron carefully._

_"This sounds weird." Sighed Iron. "But, I actually have mountain lion friends."_

_"That is weird." Noted Coco._

_"Any ways, I don't want to be in that war, I want to live peacefully along the wild cats." Said Iron._

_"You really are strange." Said Claw. "Sorry."_

_"It's fine." Reassured Iron. "Animals always say that."_

_"So, where is this war going on?" asked Coco._

_"By Emerald Glade." Replied Iron. "Close to where my pack lives."_

_"That's where our clan lives!" Claw exclaimed._

_"I know." Said Iron. "That's why think we should move out of that area."_

_"We?" asked Claw._

_"Yes." Replied Iron. "I think both of our groups should leave."_

_"That does sound safer for everyone." Said Claw. "But what about the fact that we're on different sides?"_

_"I think we should just leave each other alone." Replied Iron. "Nobody bothers anyone."_

_"Sounds good to me." Coco piped up._

_"So far, my pack has rescued a few wounded mountain lions." Continued Iron. "They seemed doubtful to us at first, but now they're pretty good friends."_

_"So, what are trying to say?" asked Claw._

_"If you happen to find any wounded wolves or dogs, please inform, us." Replied Iron. "You don't have to though."_

_"We could try, I've only met 2 wolves other than you, and they tried to kill my brother." Said Claw._

_"Thank you." Said Iron gratefully. "I just want this war to end."_

_ The wolf leaped into the air, and was soon out of sight._


	4. Mountain Lions

Chapter 4 – Mountain Lions

_"What do you think, Coco?" asked Claw._

_"I think that's a great idea!" Coco answered cheerfully._

_"Well, lets go tell the rest of the clan then." Said Claw._

_"Will we ever see Iron again?" asked Coco._

_"I don't know, but I do know that he is a friend." Said Claw with a smile._

_End of Flashback._

"So, that's why that mountain lion attacked your friend." Claw finished.

"Wait, where's your sister?" asked Gray.

"About that." Said Claw sadly. "She went missing about a year ago."

"You don't have to talk about it you don't want to." Said Lucy.

"It's fine." Said Claw. "Any ways, I've heard your looking for a place to stay until a spell of some sort wears off."

"Yes." Said Erza. "How do you know?"

"Some fox told me." Replied Claw. "Oh yeah, you can stay where my clan is staying."

"Where is that place exactly?" asked Natsu.

"I don't think you know this place, but it's by Crystal Rocks." Replied Claw.

"We appreciate it." Said Lucy. "Come on guys, lets go."

The 4 followed Claw through mazes of trees and walls of bushes.

Soon, they arrived at Crystal Rocks. There were 3 caves carved into 3 grey rocks. A ring of trees surrounded the caves, and there was a lake in the middle of it all.

"Wow, this place is beautiful." Said Lucy dreamily.

"My clan only takes up 1 cave, so you 4 can use one of the others." Said Claw. "The 3rd one is for extra brush."

"Thanks." Said Natsu, scurrying over to a cave.

"Oh yeah, there's fish in the lake, so you can catch some if you're hungry." Said Claw.

The mountain lion soon disappeared into the shadows of his cave.

"Ahh, a great place to take a nap." Said Gray sleeply.

"It's only noon." Said Natsu, but Gray was sound asleep.

"Well, he's also a cat." Said Erza.

~X~

A couple miles north of Crystal Rocks, the mountain lion that attacked Lucy was back with his clan.

"There's a dog out here?" a voice asked. "And you didn't kill it?!"

"Sorry, you're greatness." Said the mountain lion.

"Listen carefully, Fang." Hissed the voice. "You must get rid of all dogs, or else…"

"Yes, Scar." Said Fang obdiently.

The mountain lion walked towards his den, and went inside.

"I must get that dog, or I'll be kicked out of the best clan ever!" he thought.

~X~

"Gray, wake up." called Lucy.

"Gray! Wake up!" Erza shouted.

"GRAY!" Natsu screamed

"Huh?" asked Gray, opening his eyes. "Did I miss something?"

"Claw said he spied a couple of mountain lions, and that we should hide." Replied Natsu.

"Okay." Said Gray, getting on all fours.

The 4 walked out of there cave, and raced out of the ring of trees.

"Claw was right, I can see mountain lions." Said Natsu.

Sure enough, 5 big mountain lions were entering the ring of trees.

The 4 raced to a clearing not to far away, and peeked from behind some pine trees.

"Claw, I smell some dog here." Hissed a mountain lion.

"You do?" asked Claw. "Well, I haven't seen one all day."

One mountain lion sniffed at the ground, and followed an invisible trail to the cave the 4 were just in.

"Strange, this cave smells like lizard and dog." Said the mountain lion.

"Don't worry Scratch, we were just shooing some salamanders out of this cave." Claw lied.

"But why does is smell like dog?" asked the mountain lion named Scratch.

"Maybe a dog took shelter here last night." Replied Claw. "Because, I don't see a dog any where."

The 5 mountain lions slowly walked away. And the 4 returned back to the caves, for a good night's rest.


	5. Wolves

Chapter 5 – Wolves

The next morning, it was quite chilly. The grass was covered in morning dew and the air was sharp and fresh.

As usual, Natsu was awake first, trying to get some sun, and then Lucy awoke next.

"There's not much sun yet, but it's better than nothing." Said Natsu, who was sprawled out on a smooth stone.

"Wow, do all lizards wake up this early?" asked a voice, amazed.

"Huh? Who's there?" asked Lucy.

"Relax, it's just me." Said Claw.

"Phew!" Lucy sighed.

"Claw, isn't that the lizard you were talking about?" a voice asked from behind him.

"Who's that?" asked Lucy, when a small grey cat emereged from behind Claw.

"I'm Lace." Replied the little grey cat.

"Wait a second, aren't mountain lions usually tan or brown?" asked Natsu.

"Yes, but Lace is an abandoned house cat." Replied Claw.

"That's sad." Said Erza, emerging from the cave.

"Is Gray awake yet?" asked Claw.

"No, still asleep." Replied Erza.

~X~

Meanwhile, Scratch and the other 4 mountain lions were thinking about what happened yesterday.

"I swore I smelled dog." Said Scratch. "I'm sure of it."

"Calm down." Said a mountain lion named Dirt. "You're nose is probably just stuffed."

"No it isn't!" Scratch hissed.

"Sure." Drowled Dirt. "Whatever you say."

"Both of you simmer down." Said a mountain lion named Cream.

"Only for you, Cream." Sighed Dirt.

"Ooh, are you in love?" cooed Scratch.

"As if!" Dirt spat back.

~X~

"Have you found the dog yet?" asked Scar.

"No, your greatness." Replied Fang bowing down.

"WHAT?!" Scar exclaimed. "You useless fool!"

"Blood hasn't found any dogs either." Continued Fang. "But we'll find it soon, I promise."

"You better." Hissed Scar.

~X~

"Did you ever see Iron again?" asked Natsu.

"No, we're on different sides, so it's hard to visit." Replied Claw.

"How many clans are there?" asked Lucy.

"Maybe 10 in this part of the forest." Replied Lace.

"Do you have any other members of your clan?" asked Erza.

"Yes, my older sister Drama, my younger brother Hiss, and my cousin Tooth." Replied Claw. "And there's a few more abandoned cats like Lace."

"Why is your older sister named Drama?" asked Lace.

"She's a good actress." Replied Claw. "And my brother Hiss, he just likes to hiss."

"That makes sense." Said Lace with a giggle.

~X~

On the northern side of the forest, where Iron's pack was staying, a war was raging.

"Great, more bloodshed." Iron grumbled.

"Poor SilverClaw." Said a female voice.

"Is that you, SilverWind?" asked Iron.

"Tee hee, you found me!" exclaimed SilverWind.

"Where did you hide this time?" asked Iron.

"On your back." Replied SilverWind with a giggle.

"So that's why I felt so heavy." Said Iron rolling his eyes.

Iron loved playing with his little cousin, but right now, he was concetrated on avoiding the war.

~X~

"Finally." Natsu sighed. "You're awake Gray."

"What do you mean, 'finally' ?" asked Gray.

"I'm starvin' to death." Replied Natsu.

"There's plenty of dragonflies." Gray noted.

"Oh yeah." Said Natsu. "I wonder if they taste like crackers too."

After a light meal of dragonflies, well only for Natsu, the team decided to explore. (The others had fish.)


	6. Ambush

Chapter 6 – Ambush

"Wow, this forest is bigger than I thought." Said Natsu with awe.

"That's because you're only 7 inches tall." Said Gray.

"Pff, who cares." Said Natsu.

"Wait, did you guys hear that?" asked Erza.

"Hear what?" asked Lucy.

"Listen." Said Erza quietly.

Scratch. Scratch. Crunch. Scratch. Scratch. Crunch.

The 4 followed the sound to a clearing, and couldn't believe their eyes.

~X~

"Iron, when is the hunting group returning?" asked SilverWind.

"Soon, and maybe they caught a deer." Replied Iron licking his lips.

"That's sounds delicious." Said SilverWind. "I'm tired of muskrats and mice."

"We had a rabbit yesterday." Said Iron.

"That was rabbit? I thought we were eating a humungo mouse." Said SilverWind.

~X~

"A pack of wolves." Lucy breathed.

"Whoa." Said Gray quietly. "I think they captured some mountain lions."

There were 2 small mountain lions, and they're legs were quite injured. The wolves had managed to tie vines around their legs, so they couldn't move.

"We better warn Claw." Said Natsu.

The 4 dashed back to Crystal Rocks as fast as they could.

~X~

"I'm going to ask Claw if he has seen any dogs." Said Scratch.

"Why are you so sure that there's a dog?" asked Cream.

"I smelled one." Replied Scratch. "I know there's one near."

"I still think your nose is stuffed." Said Dirt.

"Oh really." Hissed Scratch. "Then, I dare you to anger Rosella."

"WHAT?!" Dirt exclaimed. "Not Rosella!"

"Scratch, I think you're goin' overboard." Said Cream. "Rosella will scratch Dirt's face off in a minute."

"Yeah, insult ClawBlade, and you'll be dead." Said Scratch grimly.

"What's this about ClawBlade?" asked a voice.

"Oh, hi Rosella." Said Scratch. "We were just talking about how ClawBlade's claws are like blades."

"You're always talking about that." Said Rosella.

~X~

"Claw!" shouted Lucy.

"What?" asked Claw.

"There's a *pant* pack of *pant* wolves around here!" replied Lucy our of breath.

"There is?" asked Claw shocked. "Where?"

"Downstream." Replied Gray. "A little ways from here."

"That could be bad for the cats." Said Claw. "We may have to move again."

"Move? What do you mean?" asked Lucy.

"From time to time, us mountain lions move to different areas to live, for food, shelter, or in case of danger."

"Ah, now I get it." Said Lucy.

~X~

"You'll pay, Scratch!" Rosella roared, lashing her claws.

"AHH!" Scratch screamed.

"Yup, he insulted ClawBlade." Said Cream with a sigh.

"Forgive me!" Scratch pleaded.

"Never!" Rosella yelled back.

Soon, Scratch was pinned down by Rosella. And his whole body was shaking.

"I'll let you go again, but never to that again, got it?" asked Rosella.

"Got it." Replied Scratch quietly.

~X~

"Iron! Iron!" shouted SilverWind. "The hunting group is back!"

"I know." Said Iron. "I'm not blind."

"Hey Iron, hey SilverWind." A wolf called.

"So you went hunting this time, Platinum." Said Iron.

"What? Are you saying girls aren't good hunters?" asked Platinum.

"No, you just don't seem the type that would go hunting at this time." Replied Iron.

"Ooh, what did you catch?" asked SilverWind.

"Nothin' much." Replied Platinum. "Just some rabbits, again."

"You mean those big mouse things?" asked SilverWind.

"Yes, those big mouse things." Replied Platinum.

"Great, they taste kind of good actually." Said SilverWind cheerfully.

~X~

"Scar, I've located the dog." Said Fang.

"Where is it?" asked Scar. "Tell me."

"It staying near Claw's place." Replied Fang.

"Great, we'll capture it tommarow." Said Scar. "Good job Fang."

~X~

"If the wolves threaten our safety or move closer, we'll move." Declared Claw.

"Where will you go?" asked Erza.

"We have another place, by a waterfall." Replied Claw.

"Did you just say we were moving?" asked a black cat.

"We might have to, Star." Replied Claw.

"Drat, I like it here." The cat named star mumbled.

"I almost forgot, Star, these 4 are Lucy, Erza, Natsu and Gray, and this is Star." Introduced Claw.

"Nice to meet you." Said Star.

"Nice to meet you too." Said Lucy cheerfully.

"So, what's this about moving?" asked Star.

"We spotted a pack of wolves downstream." Replied Gray.

"Oh, so that's why." Said Star.

~X~

"These humungo mouse things are tasting good today." Said SilverWind.

"They're called rabbits, not humungo mouse things." Said Platinum, taking another bite of rabbit.

"They look like humungo mouse things." SilverWing protested.

"It doesn't matter what you call them." Said Iron. "You can even call them small white beavers."

"Small white beavers?" said Platinum with a quizzacle look. "You have a strange imagination."

~X~

"I can't wait until sunrise." Said Fang grimly. "Then that dog will be ours."

"Indeed." Said a voice from behind him.

"Aren't you excited, Blood?" asked Fang.

"Yes." Blood hissed back. "How about you, BoneCrusher?"

"I guess." He replied.

Fang frowned, and eyed his clanmate carefully. BoneCrusher was an abandoned house cat, he was rescued by Scar's clan a year after he was abandoned.

"You're still lookin' for your sister, eh?" asked Blood.

"Yeah." Replied BoneCrusher

"Simple, just look for a vicious black cat." Said Fang.

"Well, there's this black cat in Claw's clan, but she isn't vicious." Said BoneCrusher.

"You never know." Said Blood. "You never know."

~X~

"Okay, I'm goin' to Claw's place." Said Scratch. "Anyone want to tag along?"

"No thanks." Said Rosella, who was sharpening her claws on a rock.

"I'll go." Said Dirt. "ClawBlade?"

"Nah." He replied. "I'd rather stay here."

"Suit yourself." Said Scratch. "Come on Dirt."

"Actually, it's getting pretty late, we'll go tommarow." Said Scratch.

"Okay." Said Dirt.

~X~

"What?!" exclaimed Claw. "You use magic?!"

"That's right." Replied Natsu.

"I won't believe until I see it." Said Star.

"Roar of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu exclaimed.

A burst of flame shot out of his mouth.

"Cool." Said Star with awe.

"Are you one of those, dragon slayers?" asked Claw.

"Yeah." Replied Natsu.

"Wow, that really is amazing." Said Claw.

"It could be useful for self defense." Said Star.

"Yeah." Agreed Gray. "Especially if there's a really mad wolf out there."

~X~

"It's evening everyone." Said Scar. "Remember to wake up at sunrise."

"Got it." Said Blood with a yawn.

"Night, BoneCrusher." Said Fang. "Night, Blood."

"Night, Fang." Said Blood.

Soon, all you could here was the light snoring of the mountain lions, the owls hooting, and the leaves rustling in the cool night breeze.

~X~

The next morning, as Natsu woke up. He scurried for the sunlight.

It was strange, but ever since he turned into a lizard, he felt that he could not live on a cloudy day, from time to time.

"I wonder if Lucy will wake up soon?" he thought.

He turned around, and noticed, that the little white maltese wasn't in her sleeping spot.

"Huh? Where is she?" He asked himself.

All he saw was Gray sleeping at the back of the cave, and Erza towards the front. Lucy was usually sleeping by a big rock in the cave, but she wasn't there.

"Lucy?" he asked, whispering. "Are ya there?"

There was no reply.

"Gray! Erza! Wake up!" Natsu shouted.

"What?" asked Erza sleepily.

"Lucy is missing!" Natsu hissed in reply.

"WHAT?!" she exclaimed.

"I'm up!" Gray yelped.

"Come on!" Natsu shouted. "We've got to go find Lucy!"

"What do you mean?" asked Gray.

"Natsu's right, Lucy is missing." Said Erza.

"CLAW!" Natsu screamed. "Emergency!"

"What?" asked Claw. "What emergency?"

"Lucy is missing!" Natsu shouted back.

"Lucy is missing?" said Claw. "When did you notice she was gone?"

"When I woke up." replied Natsu. "That was a few minutes ago."

"If we hurry, we may find her." Said Claw. "Lace! Star!"

"What is it?" asked Lace.

"Lucy is missing." Replied Claw.

"Lets go find her!" Natsu shouted.

The 6 bolted out of Crystal Rocks, and tried to pick up her scent.


	7. The Search

Chapter 7 – The Search

"Iron, Iron wake up!" called a voice.

"What?" asked Iron, sleepily.

"There's someone shouting outside." Replied SilverWind.

Iron, groaned, but got up any ways. He slumped outside, and carefully listened.

"Lucy!" shouted a voice. "Where are you?"

"Grr, I lost her scent." Said another voice.

"Claw?" Iron wondered，as he raced towards the voice.

"Where are you going?" asked SilverWind.

"Stay right there!" Iron shouted. "If there's any danger, wake up Platinum or IronClaw!"

His claws dug into the ground, leaving bits of dirt everywhere. That voice sounded similar to Claw's, but he wasn't sure. If it wasn't his mountain lion friend, Iron would have no choice but to defend his pack

As the shouting gre louder, Iron saw a snow leapord racing in the direction of Crystal Falls, followed by a jaguar, and a komodo dragon.

"What on earth is going on?" he wondered. "And why is there a komodo dragon?"

Then, I saw a mountain lion and 2 house cats right behind the other 3 animals.

"Is that you, Claw?" Iron called.

"Wait here." The mountain lion told the 2 cats, the it bounded in my direction.

"Why, you're Iron." Said the mountain lion.

"Are you Claw?" Iron asked, just in case.

"Yeah." Replied the mountain lion. "What are you doing here?"

"My pack lives not to far away from here. " Iron replied. "Why are you running?"

"A friend of ours is missing." Replied Claw.

"Really?" Iron asked. "Who's you're friend?"

"A malteese." Replied Claw. "Name's Lucy."

"What's a malteese doing out here?" asked Iron.

"Well, her and her friends, were once human, and thery turned into animals, and now she's missing." Replied Claw.

"Okay." Said Iron blankly.

"CLAW!" a voice shouted. "Is that wolf attacking you?"

"No, Natsu!" Claw shouted back.

"Who's Natsu?" asked Iron.

"The komodo dragon." Replied Claw.

Natsu slithered over to Claw, and eyed Iron suspiciously.

"Is that your wolf friend or an enemy?" asked Natsu.

"That's Iron." Replied Claw.

"Good." Said Natsu, a bit more relieved. "I thought he was attacking you."

"I have no intest in attacking mountain lions." Iron stated.

A little later, Erza and Gray joined the 3.

"Have you seen a malteese around here?" asked Gray.

"No." replied Iron. "Why do you ask?"

"Our friend Lucy, she's a malteese, and she went missing this morning." Gray answered.

"That's to bad." Said Iron sympathetically. "But I do have an idea of where she is."

"Where?" asked Natsu hopefully.

"Follow me." Iron replied.


	8. Reunited

Chapter 8 – Reunited

"Scar!" Fang shouted. "We caught the dog."

"Excellent." Scar hissed, eyeing the small white maltese.

"Let me go!" Lucy demanded.

"After you tell us the wolve's plans." Scar growled, as two other mountain lions, tied vines around her.

"I'm not part of a pack." Lucy said, inocently. "Honest."

"That's about as true as a snow leapord using magic." Scar scoffed.

"But Gray uses magic, and he's a snow leapord." Lucy thought, sweatdropping.

"Now, tell us what the wolves are planning, or else." Threatened Scar, putting his claw on Lucy's neck.

"Or else what?" asked Lucy with a gulp.

"Or else, you die." Replied Scar with a grim smile.

~X~

"Is that your friend?" Iron whispered.

"Yep, that's her." Natsu whispered in reply.

"I've got a plan." Said Claw. "Gray, Erza, Natsu, distract them."

Before Gray fould ask Claw what was his plan, the mountain lion had vanished.

"Lets just do as he said." Suggested Erza.

The 3 cautiously walked to where the clan of mountain lions stood, guarding Lucy.

"Who goes there?" a mountain lion hissed.

"Relax, Fang." Another said. "It's just some wildcats."

"Are you sure they aren't wolves in disguise?" asked the on named Fang. "You can be untrustworthy, Skull."

"I'm sure." The one named Skull replied. "And I am trustworthy."

"So, what are you planning to do with that dog?" asked Gray, slightly winking at Lucy.

"Threaten it to give us information about the wolves." Fang replied. "Or kill it."

"Oh, okay." Said Gray blankly.

The ice mage glanced over at some bushes, and saw a pair of eyes winking at him.

He knew it was Claw, and the mountain lion probably wanted the 4 to stall them a little longer.

"So, which side of the war is winning so far?" asked Gray.

"The pathetic wolves." Fang grumbled in reply. "They've caught too many mountain lions."

"Fang!" a voice shouted. "Get over here!"

"I'll be right back, Scar's callin' me." Said Fang.

The mountain lion walked over to his leader.

"Yes, you're greatness?" asked Fang, bowing.

"Kill the dog." Scar ordered. "It should be fun for you."

"Ooh, I'll give it a slow and painful death." Said Fang grimly.

"WHAT?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Hey, a lizard!" a mountain lion shouted. "Lets eat it!"

It pounced on Natsu, who managed to wriggle free.

"Back off." He hissed.

"Uh, he's my midnight snack." Said Gray with a fake smile.

"Wh-." Natsu started, but Erza covered his mouth.

"This lizard, hit it's head when we were chasing it, it has no idea what it's saying." Erza lied.

"Ohh-kay." Said the mountain lion, eyeing Erza supsciously.

"Now," said Scar. "Lets kill the doggie, shall we?"

"Hold it right there." Said a voice.

Scar turned around, and saw Claw, with an army of mountain lions.

"So the traitor has come to watch the dog die too." Scar said in a grim voice. "Well to bad! It's bones are mine!"

"B-bones?" Lucy shivered.

"I have no intrest in that dog's bones." Said Claw, winking at Lucy. "I've come to release it."

"The dog is mine." Scar hissed. "All mine."

"You're still as greedy as before, I see." Said Claw.

"What are you talking about?" asked Scar.

"Nevermind." Claw muttered. "The dog is coming with me."

"Easier said than done." Scar said with a grim smile. "Fang, Blood, attack him."

The 2 mountain lions leaped at Claw, but Erza lunged out of nowhere, and attack them.

"He's on our side." Erza growled.

"Take out the jaguar first then." Said Scar.

"Flame Empress Armor." Erza said, as her claws turned red, and started on fire.

Blood charged at her, he lashed his claws at her face.

"You want a piece of me?" Erza hissed, barring her teeth.

She dug her flaming claws into Blood's back. The mountain lion yowled with pain, but charged at her again.

Blood raked his claws against Erza's leg, she winced, but managed to stand.

"Heaven's Wheel."

She swiped her razor claws, against his neck. His wound spilled with blood, staining the mage's claws.

"Serves you right." Erza hissed.

"You weak fool!" Scar shouted. "I'll fight them myself!"

The mountain lion walked up to Gray, and placed his claw by his neck.

"Claw," said Scar grimly. "Leave, or your friend dies."

"As if." Gray spat back, pushing Scar's claw away. "Ice make: Blizzard!"

A gust of chilly wind, swept by. Snow started to fall, causing some of the mountain lions to shiver violently.

"Give Lucy back!" Natsu shouted. "Roar of the Fire Dragon!"

"My paw!" Blood yowled.

Gray ripped his claws across Fang's neck. Then, he bit his back with all his might.

"Give the dog back." Gray threatened. "Or I'll bite you again."

"Oh yeah?" Fang asked. "I'm called Fang for a reason.

Fang leaped on the ice mage, and bit Gray's neck. It stung with pain, Fang's teeth were sharp!

"Not so tough are you?" asked Fang, when he saw Gray wince.

"Lighting Empress Armor!" Erza exclaimed.

Her claws turned silver, and small zaps of electricity surrounded them.

She stabbed her claws into his back, and waited, as blood gushed out.

"That's does-." Fang started. "AHHHHHH!"

Soon, the mountain lion was fried to a crisp. Small zaps of electricity jumped around him.

"Ugh." Scar groaned. "Everyone, attack!"

The 2 sides clashed. They barred their teeth and lashed their claws.

"Scar," Natsu said darkly. "Let the dog go."

"Why should I listen to a lizard?" asked Scar.

"Roar of the Thunder, Fire Dragon!" Natsu exclaimed.

"AGH!" Scar yelped.

Natsu attacked Scar over and over, until the mountain lions finally gave in.

"Let the dog go." Natsu hissed. "Or I'll…destroy you."

"Never." Scar said weakly.

"You asked for it." Natsu said reluctantly. "Dazzling Blaze of the F-."

"WAIT!" a voice interrupted. "Don't kill Scar! He's my brother!"

"Brother?" Natsu said perplexed. "Who is that?"

A slim, young female mountain lion jumped in front of Natsu.

"I'm Coco." she said. "Please don't kill Scar."

"Okay." Said Natsu blankly.

"COCO!" Claw shouted.

"Claw!" Coco shouted back.

The mountain lion nuzzled his younger sister.

"Where were you?" Claw sobbed.

"I got captured." Coco replied. "It took me 5 months to escape."

"Thank goodness." Said Claw.

"Is Scar dead?" Coco asked.

"Nope, I'm still alive." Scar replied from the ground.

"Good." Said Coco with a sigh of relief.

"I still can't believe that my brother grew up to be such an evil mountain lion." Said Claw with a sigh.

"I agree." Sighed Coco.

"Claw!" a voice shouted. "I think I found my sibling too!"

"Star?" asked Claw, "Is that you?"

"Yep." The little black cat replied with a smile.

"So, who do ya think is your sibling?" asked Claw.

"That black cat over there." Said Star, pointing at BoneCrusher. "He has my eyes."

"Well, you can't be sure." Said Coco.

"You're here too?!" Star exclaimed. "Yipee!"

BoneCrusher ambled over to Star, and eyed her carefully.

"Hmm, what's my real name?" he asked.

"What are you talking about?" asked Fang.

"Your real name is, Comet." Star replied.

"How'd a know?" asked BoneCrusher with awe.

"Cause I'm your little sister, Star." She replied.

"Am I dreaming?" BoneCrusher asked. "Somebody bite me."

Star playfully leaped on the larger cat, and bit him.

"Youch!" he yelped. "Nope, I'm not dreaming."

"Aww, what a happy reunion." Said Lucy with a smile. "Now someone get me outa here!"

Erza walked over, and cut the vines, tying Lucy to a large boulder.

"Yes! I'm free!" Lucy shouted with joy.

"Lets go back now." Said Claw. "And leave this clan alone."

"I'm comin' with you guys." Said Comet (BoneCrusher). "I don't want to leave Star."

Claw nodded, and followed the rest of the clan into the woods.

"Lets hope I don't get captured again." Said Lucy.

"You're always getting captured." Said Natsu. "It's only natural that we will come saving you."

Lucy smiled, and felt her face grow red. She sighed in content, and trotted along side her friends.

"Even if I have to be stuck an animal forever, I don't mind." She thought. "As long as I'm with my friends."


	9. Three More

Chapter 9 – Three More

"Hey Mira, do you know where that potion is?" asked Ultear.

"No." Mirajane replied. "Why do you ask?"

"I wanna make sure that no one else turns into animals." Ultear replied.

"I think I found it!" Happy shouted, from the 2nd floor.

Ultear started up the stairs, but Happy was already flying down with the bottle.

"Great!" said Ultear cheerfully. "Now don't op-."

A cloud of snoke erupted from the bottle, surrounding Ultear, Jellal, and Meredy.

"Oh great." Ultear muttered.

As the smoke cleared, the 3 were replaced by a snake, a fox, and a jaguar.

"Happy!" Ultear shouted. "Why did ya open it?!"

"It opened on it's own!" Happy replied. "Honest."

"Liar!" Ultear shouted, lunging at Happy. "Feel the fury of my fangs!"

"AHH!" Happy screamed.

Luckily, Jellal pinned the time mage down before she could strike Happy.

"You're a coral snake." Said Jellal sternly. "You have venom, and could've killed Happy."

"And then Natsu would kill you." Max added.

"Good point." Said Ultear. "Now let go! You're choking me!"

Jellal quickly let go, and Ultear let out a hiss of relief.

"That's better." She sighed.

"Wait!" Meredy exclaimed. "What are we gonna do now?"

"Live in the woods," Ultear suggested. "Like Team Natsu."

"I know that," said Meredy. "But how are we gonna change back?"

"Maybe the othes have changed back, and know how." Jellal replied with a shrug.

"I hope so." Said Meredy nervously. "I don't want to be a fox forever."

"And I don't want to be a jaguar forever." Jellal added.

"What if Erza was stuck a jaguar forever?" Ultear asked with a smirk. "Would you change your mind then?"

"S-shut up!" Jellal demanded.

"Let's just go." Said Meredy sweatdropping.

~X~

"It's good to be back." Lucy sighed.

"I wish we would turn back into humans." Gray grumbled.

"I kinda like being a lizard." Said Natsu. "But I still want to be human."

Gray gave Natsu a confused look, and then fell asleep, as usual.

"I wonder if he'll take naps in the guild like this." Erza joked.

"Maybe he will." Said Lucy with a giggle.

"Be quiet." Gray mumbled. "I'm trying to sleep."

~X~

"So Ultear, do you like being a snake?" asked Meredy.

"Not really." Ultear replied. "I feel so cold."

"That's because you're cold blooded." Jellal explained.

"I know." Ultear said.

"Hey look, I see some mountain lions." Said Meredy.

"You're right." Said Ultear.

"Maybe Team Natsu's with them." Jellal suggested.

"Maybe," Ultear agreed. "Let me see of I can get closer."

The time mage slowly slithered into the bushes. Peeking through the leaves, she saw a snow leapord, maltese, lizard, and a jaguar.

"Yep." She announced. "They're here."

~X~

"Still sleep, huh?" Lucy asked.

"Yep." Gray replied tiredly. "But I just can't fall asleep."

"Hey, I think I see something." Said Natsu.

The four poked their heads out of the cave, and saw something red, black, and yellow.

"A coral snake?" Erza suggested.

"Lets go check it out." Said Natsu, stepping out of the cave.

"Are you sure?" Lucy asked nervously, for she wasn't a big fan of snakes. "Coral snakes are poisonous."

"We'll won't go to close." Natsu reassured. "I promise."

"Okay." Said Lucy doubtfully.

Gray decided to stay in the cave, while Erza tagged along.

"Yep, it's a coral snake." Said Erza.

"Hi Erza." Is suddenly said.

"Whoa!" the three exclaimed, jumping back.

"How do you know my name?" Erza asked.

"I'm Ultear." The snake replied.

"Ultear?" said Lucy with a puzzled tone.

"I got turned into a snake." The snake explained. "So did Jellal and Meredy."

There was rustle of leaves, then a fox and a jaguar walked out of the bushes.

"How did _you_ guys turn into animals?" asked Natsu, who stll had a bit of shock in hi voice.

"Happy." Ultear grumbled. "He's gonna pay."

"Relax, Ultear." Said the fox. "He said it opened on it's own."

"Yeah right." Ultear muttered. "You can kinda be guilible sometimes, Meredy."

"Any ways," the jaguar continued. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Hold on a sec." said Natsu. "So, if the snake is Ultear, and the fox is Meredy. That must mean, the jaguar is Jellal!"

"Yep." Jellal said. "So what are you doing here?"

"Oh, we're just staying with a clan of mountain lions." Natsu replied half hartedly.

"There's also a war going on." Erza added. "Between the wolves and the mountain lions."

"That explains why a wolf was trying to cut my head off." Said Jellal.

"It scares me that you can say that with a straight face." Lucy shivered.

After introduncing the three to Claw and the other mountain lions, Claw told them more about the war.

"We will be moving soon." Claw continued. "Perhaps in two days."

"Got it." The three said.

~X~

"I can't believe we were defeated by the Wind Clan." Blood grumbled.

_(Note: The Wind Clan is Claw's clan.)_

"Yeah." Skull agreed. "I can't believe they beat us."

"Have any of you guys seen Fang?" a mountain lion named Blade asked.

"He's been missing for a while." Scar replied. "I have no clue where he is."

"I hear some rumors from a lynx the other day." Said Blade. "It said that a mountain lion named Fang in a traitor of his clan."

"Anything else?" asked Scar.

"Yes." Blade replied. "It said, He's a member of the Death Clan after all."

"WHAT?!" Scar exclaimed. "Are you sure you didn't here wrong?"

"Nope." Blade replied. "I'm sure I heard that."

"Well, we have been rivals with the Death Clan for quite some time." Said Scar. "Perhaps I'll go pay them a 'visit'."

"Ooh, sounds great." Blood hissed.

"Blood, Blade, come with me tommarow." Scar ordered. "You too, Hunter and Raven."

"Of course." The four said, bowing. "It's gonna me so much fun."

"Indeed." Said Scar, his teeth gleaming in the light. "Indeed."

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the late update, I had writers block and was busy writing my new story, Sky War.**

**Why don't you give it a try? It's just a suggestion though. :)**

**- Warrior Phoenix**


	10. A New Den

Chapter 10 – A New Den

The Wind Clan, along with the Fairy Tail mages were currently traveling downstream towards a new den area. Claw had said it was quite far, and that they would arrive around evening.

Though walking wasn't the best thing to be doing at the time; it was raining, and the wind was blowing extremely hard.

But, the wolves were too close, so leaving now was the best choice.

"Wow, I can't believe Natsu isn't complaining." Gray smirked.

"Hey!" the dragon slayer shouted in annoyance.

"Though it is surprising," Erza agreed. "You hate it when we go on jobs when it's rainy."

"I do hate it." Natsu said. "But that was when I had hair on my head."

"And now you have scales." Claw added. "So, it shouldn't be that bad."

"Yep, I'm actually kinda liking it." Natsu said, his tongue flicking out of his mouth.

"You're weird." Lucy said jokingly. "I hate the feeling of wet fur."

"I know what you mean." Meredy sighed in agreement, looking at her soaked orange coat. "It feels so gross, and it's heavy."

Lucy nodded. "But, Gray and Erza don't seem to be bothered at all."

"It's probably because snow leapords like snow, and jaguars like to swim." Meredy said.

The rest of the trip was silent, except for the wind whistling in the leaves, and the pitter-pattering of the rain.

Everyone tramped through the muddy ground, their legs, or underbellies in Ultear's case, were cacked in the mucky substance.

They stopped at a nearby crook to wash off, and continued their journey.

"Why does this place seem so familiar?" asked Natsu.

"We took a job here, idiot." Gray answered.

"Not much longer now." Claw said. "The sun is beginning to set."

Sure enough, the blue sky was slowly seeping into rosy pink color. Whispy white clouds glided around the magnificent sight, creating a path for the glorious sunlight.

"Yes!" Natsu exclaimed happily.

"One more thing," Lace added. "The place were going to, isn't that far from your guild thing."

"Great! We won't have to travel far when we turn back into humans." Meredy grinned.

"That is,_ if _we change back." Ultear noted.

"What if we don't?" Lucy asked nervously.

There was an akward silence. Nobody spoke, nobody moved. Even their breathing seemed to have stopped.

"Let's just keep going." Gray said, breaking the silence.

Claw nodded, and proceeded forwards.

~X~

"WHAT?!" a certain water mage exclaimed. "They turned into animals too?!"

Juvia had just returned from a mission, hoping to see her beloved Gray-sama had turn back into a human.

She was disappointed to find the ice mage still hadn't returned, and was quite shocked to learn that Meredy, Ultear, and Jellal had turned into animals too.

"I'm afraid so." Mirajane sighed.

"Why?" Juvia sobbed. "First Gray-sama, and now Meredy."

"Don't worry." Levy said reasuringly. "They'll change back soon."

"But what if they don't?"

"Uh…" Levy started in reply.

The bluenette looked at Mirajane for help, but the S-class mage just shrugged and continued serving drinks.

"If that does happen, Juvia will turn into an animal too!" Juvia declared, when Levy didn't answer.

"Aww, that's sweet." Mirajane cooed.

"I wonder what animal you'll turn into." Said Gajeel; who was eating a bag of washers.

"A fish?" Cana guessed.

"Maybe a snake, because you like to stalk Gray." Gajeel snickered.

"Gajeel-san!"

~X~

"Huh, where did Claw's clan go?" Scratch asked, quite puzzled.

"I can smell them." Said Dirt. "And some lizard."

"I smell dog." Said Scratch, his nose sniffing the air. "The lizard was probbaly just their meal or something."

"What's this? I smell fox and snake too." Dirt announced.

"That's strange, the foxes aren't in the war." Scratch said, raising an eyebrow. "And mountain lions don't eat snakes."

"Weird,very weird." Said Dirt. "Well, lets just head on back."

"Sure."

~X~

"Ugh, I hate rain." Blood groaned.

"Now we can't_ visit_ the Death Clan." Skull muttered.

"I so wanted to get some sweet revenge." Scar said bitterly, sharpening his claws on a rock.

The mountain lion licked his blood coated lips; he had just finished devouring a plump rabbit. The blood was juicy and meaty at the same time; a delacy anyone would want.

He could almost taste another one in his mouth. Sliding down his throat, and warming his belly.

Bones were scattered all over the den. Some of them still had bits of flesh on them, or were soaked in the sticky red substance.

"Dee-licious." He said with a satisfied smile.

"To bad prey is getting scarce." Blood sighed. "Rabbit blood is scrumptious."

"The wolved have hunted them all." Scar growled. "It's their fault we have nothing to eat!"

"Well, we could get our revenge on the wolves too." Skull smiled bitterly. "Like killing two birds with one stone."

"Good idea." Scar hissed. "Blood will be spilled tonight, and lots of it."

~X~

"Yes!" Nasu exclaimed. "We're here!"

"I see the guild!" Meredy said, boinging around her friends.

Sure enough, the majestic guild hall was not to far away from thew new den.

"Whoa, that place is huge." Sad Lace, eyeing the guild. "Do you live there?"

"No," Lucy answered. "We just hang out there, with friends."

"Oh."

After nudging out a few bones and pebbles, the den was ready.

Luckily for them, the cave was spacious, and there were two of them. The rain had also stopped, so if it was needed, someone could sleep outside.

"Gray, you're taking up to much room." Natsu mumbled.

"You're the one that's taking up all the room." Gray spat back. "You're freaking tail is so big and long!"

"Go to sleep!" Ultear hissed.

Gray grumbled, and layed his head on the hard stone floor. He began to snore, loudly, much to everyone's dismay.

"Crap." Natsu muttered, throwing his tail over his face.

The time mage glance over to the right, and saw that Erza had fallen asleep on Jellal's…paws.

"So cute." She thought with a smile. "And I need to get used to saying paws, not arms and legs."

Soon, there was no sound except for the owls hooting, the wind whispering in the leaves, and the crickets chirping a sweet lullaby.

However, the time mage noticed there was another sound, different from the rest. It wasn't peaceful, but brutal. It wasn't sweet but fierce.

It sounded of a beast, wanting to taste an animals blood. It romped through the forest floor, sending mice scrambling from their hiding places.

"Why am I tempted to eat one of those?" Ultear though in digust.

The noise soon faded away, leaving the black snake quite puzzled. She just ignored it, and slithere back to her sleeping spot.

_"I can taste the blood already…"_

**Phoenix: Hey Mina! Sorry for the late update, I had a severe case of writer's block for this past few days, so I couldn't think of anything to write!**

**Happy: But you posted new chapters for your other stories...**

**Phoenix: I know. But I was trying to make this story juicy, but I had no ideas.**

**Happy: Juicy like salmon?**

**Phoenix: Er...**

**Natsu: WHAT?! I'm a lizard?! What did you do to me Phoenix?**

**Phoenxi: Chillax, it's just a story. *sweatdrops***

**Lucy: I'ma maltese? I love those dogs, they're so cute!**

**Happy: They're quite ugly actually.**

**Phoenix: See you next chapter!**

**- Warrior Phoenix**

**Phoenix: Oh, Natsu and Happy. Don't you dare try to enter my signature... (From my other story "A Shattered Heart".)**

**(^.^)**


	11. The Death Clan

**Chapter 11 – The Death Clan**

"Everyone wake up!" Scar growled. "The sun's already up!"

Raven, Hunter, Skull, and Blood all groaned, but woke up and looked at their leader.

"It's time to pay a little visit to the Death Clan." Scar said with a grim smile. "Let's get going."

After a light meal of rabbit, the four bounded out of their den, and headed southeast towards the Death Clan's den. It was going to be a long trip, and they would arrive there around high noon.

"How far away is there den, sir?" Raven asked.

"Like a million pawsteps." Scar replied. "Keep running!"

"Yes sir!" Raven shouted back.

Scar stubbed his claws every time his paw hit the pebble covered ground. He growled in slight pain, but kept on running. His legs stung with exahustion as he tried to push himself farther.

Finally, he stopped to catch his breath. His claws were worn down a bit, but still sharp enough to give a deadly cut. He wearily sharpened them on a nearby boulder, and waited for the other four.

_"It's time for my revenge…Scythe…"_

~X~

"I'm hungry." SilverWind moaned. "When's the hunting group coming back?"

"Soon," Iron replied. "But can you please stop complaining? My ears hurt."

"Your ears hurt?"

"Yes, so please stop complaining."

SilverWind sighed, but stopped complaining. The wolf pup stared into the distance, hoping to see the hunting group coming back with some rabbit.

Her stomach growled at the thought of the tender and juicy meat. She licked her lips, almost tasting the animal in her mouth.

But maybe, just maybe, the hunting group had brought something even better. SilverWind had only had moose once, but that was when she was very young. Her mouth watered at the thought of the delicious delacy.

Suddenly, there was rustling noise in the bushes. SilverWind's ears perked up, eyeing her surrounding for the hunting group.

She slouched in disappointment, when she realized it was just a fox. It had some sort of a rodent in it's mouth, causing SilverWind to growl with envy.

"I wish that mouse thing was mine." She though. "I'll eat anything right now, I'm starving!"

SilverWind sighed, and slowly trudged back into the den. If she had to wait for lunch, then she night as well make a good use of the time.

The cave was empty; most of the pack was in the hunting group, and the other wolves were outside. Curling herself around her favorite rock, she closed her eyes.

~X~

"We're almost there, everyone." Scar said with a bitter smile. "I can smell the Death Clan."

"What do they smell of?" Raven asked jokingly. "Death?"

"Precisely." Scar hissed. "They smell even worse than decaying moose."

"I've smelled decaying moose before." Hunter said. "It smelled like the Death Clan."

"Actually, we like our smell." A voice suddenly said.

The five turned around, and saw an especially large mountain lion looking down at them. His claws were jet black, and razor sharp. His teeth gleamed in the sunlight as he flashed them a bitter smile.

"Scythe." Scar growled. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same thing." Scythe said. "This is my territory."

"I think your brain is stuffed with rabbit fur." Scar hissed. "This is the Fire Clan's territory."

"Oops, I think I stole their land." Scythe said. "Actually, I _bought_ it from them ."

"What did you pay them, a thousand rabbits?" Scar asked sarcastically. "Or a few moose? A nice den?"

"I gave them something my clan values." Scythe replied. "Death."

"You killed the whole entire Fire Clan?" Scar asked with a slighty shocked tone.

"No, no. That would be too hard, even for _me_." Scythe answered. "I killed their leader."

"You murdered BurnSky?" Raven questioned. "Why?"

"Idiot!" Scar hissed back. "He was trying to take their land!"

"I also spilled the blood of BlazePaw, FireFeather, and Storm." Scythe added. "Who knows? Maybe you, Hunter, Skull, Blood, and Scar will be next." His voice slurring his words when he said, _Scar_.

"As if." Scar spat back. "_You're_ the one that's going to be killed."

"Oh really?" Scythe said. "Try."

"Your head will be rolling into the river in a second." Scar growled. "Be prepared."

"Ooh, sounds like fun." Scythe said bitterly. "A fight to the death is_ my _kind of fun."

_"A fight to the…death?"_

~X~

"SilverWind, wake up!" Iron shouted, nudging his little cousin. "The hunting group is back!"

SilverWind blinked a few time, and slowly plodded out of the den. Outside she saw that the hunting group had caught a few rabbits, and a small mouse of some sort.

The meaty aroma overwhelmed the young wolf pup. She raced for the kill, pouncing on a snow white ball of fur. He sharp teeth sunk into the tender and juicy meat. The salty and sharp flavor or rabbit blood coated her tongue, she licked her lips and started to knaw the bones.

"Wow, you were starving SilverWind." Platinum chuckled.

~X~

"Is Gray still asleep?" Ultear asked.

"Yep," Lucy replied, glacing towards the back of the cave. "Nobody can wake him."

"Let me try." Natsu said, scrambling over to the ice mage.

"WAKE UP!" he screamed, shooting fire onto Gray's fur.

"AHHHH!" Gray yelped immeadeitly jumping up. "My fur's on fire!"

The snow leapord swished his head back and forth, looking for water. When he didn't see any, he sprinted outside and dove into the nearby creek.

The ice mage dragged himself out of the water and onto the bank. He slowly plodded back the den, and shoot Natsu a murderous glare.

"You'll pay," he hissed. "Big time."

"Fine with me." Natsu said.

~X~

"What? Are you scared of a little fight?" Scythe cooed. "Stop being such a scaredy cat!"

"I'm not scared!" Scar growled. "I just never had a fight to the death."

"You're the leader of the Blood Clan, and I'm the leader og the Death Clan, we should be allies." Scythe said. "But _no_, Scar thinks that he'll be fine on his own."

"Scythe," Scar hissed. "I didn't accept your alliance then because I was still part of the pathetic Wind Clan."

"Ah yes, the Wind Clan." Scythe said, looking at his claws. "If they're so pathetic, how did they beat you guys?"

"How do you know?" Scar asked with a shocked tone.

"Lynx," Scythe answered. "They're called gossip cats for a reason."

"Now that you mention it, there's on living around our den." Hunter said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Scar roared, lashing his claws.

"It's no use now." Scythe said bitterly. "The whole now knows that the _mighty_ Blood Clan got defeated by the wimpy Wind Clan."

"They had help." Scar protested. "Animals that can use magic helped them."

"Oh really?" Scythe asked doubtfully. "Were they once human?"

"Actually, yes." Blood said. "I overheard something when I went hunting near their den."

"What did you here?" Scar asked.

"That the dog, the jaguar, the snow leapord, and the lizard are actually human wizards part of the most powerful guild Fairy Tail."

"Fairy Tail?" Scyte repeated. "I think I've heard of them before."

"I think they go on missions for jewels or something, and some of them are in thie forest." Skull said. "But I'm not _that_ sure."

"We'll put off our fight for later." Scythe said. "We need to get those wizards."

"Why?" Scar asked.

"Because they can help us win the war."

"Us?"

"Yes, we will only team up this once, but then we will part aways." Scythe hissed in reply. "Deal?"

"Deal."


End file.
